Since its been so cold here it takes forever for my truck to warm up. Is like to block part of the radiator so it'll warm up quicker and possibly have hotter heat. About how much can be covered without over heating it? 1989, 23re.

 

Typically you want to leave a hole about 6-10 inches in the center to allow SOME flow through the radiator. If it gets cold, but gets to above 0 during the day, you really shouldnt be covering any of the radiator.
Personally, I have covered the entire thing with no ill effects. But, I know you shouldnt. That was a few winters ago when it was -50F outside during the day. Now I do as I said in the first sentence.

 

Cool!!!

 

never heard of a 23re....

 

must be fast though!

 

I've never done it. Always thought the hilux heated up pretty fast. But, it seems like there would be a difference in putting a cover on the grill or the radiator itself.

How long is "forever"? From a cold start when it is well below freezing, I think mine was ususally working in 3 miles or so. Or 10 minutes of idling +/-

 

We ran cardboard in from of our cars in CO. Of course, with an efan, there's no reason to use the cardboard I'd think....

 

i'm thinking cardboard will only help impede cold airflow while you're moving. it won't accelerate warm up time if you start it up and let it idle in the driveway.

have you considered adding a plug-in block heater like this?

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...oductId=752718

 

I used to cover up the bottom third on my 3vz when I lived in Central Oregon. There you get temperatures ranging from about -30F to 50F all winter and covering up just the bottom third seemed about perfect. Still could get it to warm up when it was super cold but it wasn't restrictive enough to overheat with normal driving at warmer temps.

One year I forgot about it until Spring and the temp gauge started to climb going up a long hill. I try to glance at my gauges at least every 30 seconds so I caught it as soon as it started to climb, but it could have been worse.

Edit - covering up the radiator helped mine warm up faster at idle too...the clutch fan is always going to spin a little, even at idle. Block heaters are awesome but at about -20F my 3vz completely drops off the temp gauge once it's moving...blocking the radiator was the only way I could keep mine warm.

 

If your going to do this get something a little better then cardboard .

A day or two of warmer temps and slop it just falls apart.

On this cool below zero days it works ok but still gets real dirty .

You could have a Custom winter front made like I did for my F250 years ago. In the color to match your paint.

 

You might want to check your thermostat. If you have one that is sticking open (or even missing) or too cold of a temp. rating, all those can cause slow warm-up of the engine. Or if someone has drilled a hole in the t-stat to "cure" the temperature overshoot issue, that hole may be too large (should be 1/16") and letting too much coolant bypass and that is keeping the engine too cold.

 

I used to do this trick to warm up heavy equipment when i was set for time. I had to do pressure tests and what not and it had to be at opperating temp.

Works great, but dont forget about the cardboard.